Sunday, March 19, 2017

Acts of Kindness: Don't Forget To Be Kind to Yourself

This post is going to be short and sweet but it is going to be real.

I am a nurturer. I come from a long line of women who "fix." It is in the nature of women to be this way. We give to others. We lend a hand, a heart, an ear to another who needs it. We give so much of ourselves every single day, that we have little left in which to care for ourselves.

We work. We cook. We clean. We love. We provide. We can do it all. We are superwomen, or so it seems. We do all of this because it is who we are and what we do. It is ingrained into us from when we were very small, observing our own mothers and grandmothers in the same pattern.

If you are reading this and you are struggling, I see you. I see you out here busting your tail to make life happen. I know you are tired. I know you are stressed and overwhelmed and just over it and you need to see the end somewhere.

Along this crazy journey, do not forget to be kind to yourself. You are tired, so take a break. You need time to reset in order to feel like a human being again, so take some time, even if it is 5 minutes. I know you are busy giving so much of yourself to the other matters in your life - What a wonderful thing is it to have people you love and care about! But please do not forget, it is just as important to be kind to yourself. You have earned it, whatever your "it" is - a glass of wine, a night away, a long soak in the tub. Practicing self care is so important and knowing when you need to take care of yourself is vital. After all, if the boat is sinking, you are always instructed to first put on your own life jacket.